From The Fire
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valerie freeman

Valerie Freeman, Artist

Inspired by life and her world travels, Valerie Freeman has an organic expressive approach to creating her artworks in ceramics and painting. She has developed her own lustre glazes for her one fire ceramic works. Freeman earned her BFA from Pratt Institute and is a recipient of prestigious awards and commissions including the Municipal Arts Society of NYC and the Ford Foundation. She also curates exhibitions and teaches workshops. Her works are collected and exhibited internationally.
Picture
Picture
Upon waking to an early morning view of a wall of fire surging over the closest mountain ridge raging towards my residence by Creek Road, Saddle Mountain,  I left calmly, unattached to outcome with a prayer to accept all as God’s Will and a small suitcase filled with important files and computer hard drives.  Days later, seeing the online fire map, drawn through my belongings, I felt a release of burden, a lightness, thinking all of my stuff had perished.

But then I heard the news of twenty-five horses perishing in the Creek fire and I received a powerful insightful vision of "Red Thunder”.  A dense column of white smoke, the sound of the stampeding chaos; the equine surged to breathe, escape and their spirits ascend as ridges of fire blazed in dense darkness.

The funnel shape in mind was similar to an urn I saw on one of my travels and I searched through all of my photos and finally found the image on my iPhone from a visit to the Barcelona Museum, May 21, 2016.  I scrolled to the next  photo to see the label “Dione Renart”, (Barcelona, 1878-1946) Vase with female figure.  Then I scrolled to the very next photo after the label and to my surprise was  Picasso’s  drawing of “Gored Horse", sprawling splayed front legs with its neck stretched up and nostrils towards the heavens as if to be taking it’s final breath.  Shockingly, it was a confirmation, meant to be, to create “Red Thunder”.

I created the cylinder of clay with the sculpted relief of 25 horses, all with an eye piercing through the wall of the cylinder.  The top of the cylinder, the vision was dark black with ridges of lustre copper glazes, mimicking the Topa Topa Mountains and the surrounding ridges of Ojai Valley on fire at night. I collected Thomas Fire Ash and mixed it with the clay and glazes.  I wanted a smoldering smoke/steam to permeate from within and glow red lights.  With research, I came across an aroma therapy vaporizer with lights to boot!  Next was the sound, I combined from youtube sound tracks of a fierce crackling fire and another track of horses stampeding and neighing.  You may view a complete video of the sculpture installation in darkness with the full effects of sound, steam and red lights on youtube, which can be found by googling "youtube “Red Thunder” Valerie Freeman”.

For the complete installation, my intention is to have Ojai’s  orange blossom essential oil in the diffusor as a  therapeutic  means for the viewers who may rekindle  emotional trauma while viewing the sculpture .  The orange blossom aroma would calm their nerves and bring a sense of safety and peace while they experience the horror and grief captured in “Red Thunder”.

Red Thunder
January 31, 2018
Lustre Ceramic sculpture, Thomas Fire Ash & Aroma Therapy Diffusor
22”x 8”x8"

​
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • Maps and Locations
    • testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • The Light of Fire
  • Purchase FROM THE FIRE
  • Contributors A - L
    • akka b
    • Alan Gilliam
    • Alexa Gerrity
    • Amanda Colon Rogers
    • Amber Lennon
    • Amun Levy
    • Angela May
    • Barbara Muska
    • Becca Fuchs
    • BoKU
    • Brenton Butler
    • Brian Berman
    • Brian Lisus
    • Brian Ziegler
    • Camp Ramah
    • Carlos Grasso
    • Carlotta Mastrojanni
    • Carolyn Cricca
    • Carolyn Vondriska
    • Cassidy Linder
    • Charlie Whitman
    • Chris Newell
    • Christie Rice
    • Christina Fortney
    • Christopher King
    • Claudia Figueiredo
    • Clay White
    • Conrad Reeder
    • Crow Lauren
    • Dan Lang
    • Daren Magee
    • Darrel Wilson
    • Dave May
    • David Baker
    • David Taylor
    • Dawn & Dana Ceniceros
    • Debi Otto
    • Deborah Lyon
    • Deva Temple
    • Didde Heidler Chastain
    • Domonic Dean Breaux
    • Duane Eells
    • Dylan Dawes
    • Ecotopia
    • Elaine Unzicker
    • Elizabeth Rose
    • Ellyn Jarvis
    • Emily Burger
    • Emily Florence
    • Emily Vedder
    • Erik Wilde
    • Erin Parker
    • Esther Van Der Werf
    • Evergreen Wellness
    • Friend's Ranches
    • Food Harmonics
    • Fly-Hope-Dream
    • Gail Mortensen
    • Garth Rose
    • Gary Morales
    • Gayel Childress
    • Grant Fortney
    • Greater Goods
    • Hannah Atkinson
    • Harriette Jump
    • Harvey Rawn
    • Heather and Bob Sanders
    • Help of Ojai
    • Humane Society of Ventura County, Ojai
    • Irasha Pearl Talifero
    • Jack Nesbit
    • James Bryan Davis
    • Jasmine Williams
    • Jeff D. Muth
    • Jeffrey Stuteville
    • Jessica Altman-Pollack
    • John Brooks
    • Johnny Ortez-Tibbels
    • Jose pulido III
    • Judy Gabriel
    • Julia Thomsen
    • Julie Tumamait-Stenslie
    • Karal Gregory
    • Karen McMahon
    • Karina Aroha
    • Kate Mack
    • Kate Pond
    • Kathleen Collins
    • Katrina MacLachlan
    • Kelly Fenton
    • Kent Butler
    • Kiera Van Gelder
    • Kris Humphries
    • Kristen Finch
    • Lee Ann Manley
    • Leighanne O'Brien
    • Leisa Fusco-Foster
    • Les Dublin
    • Leslie Ferraro
    • Lisa Isbell
    • Lori Hansen
    • Love Heals
  • Contributors M - Z
    • Mallory Murphy
    • Marc Whitman
    • Mark Anthony
    • Martha Moran
    • Mary Neville
    • Meditation Mount
    • Michael Gabriel
    • Michael Wood
    • MiMi Alain
    • Nadia Natali
    • Nancy Gross
    • Nathan Wickstrum
    • Nicholas Franklin
    • Nora Herold
    • Norman Clayton
    • NoSo
    • Ojai Beverage Company
    • Ojai Digital
    • Ojai Foundation
    • Ojai Print Works
    • Ojai Raptor Center
    • Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
    • Ojai Valley Museum
    • Ojai Vineyard
    • Oliver Newell, "Oliwa"
    • Pamela Luna
    • Paul Michael Taylor
    • Paulette Mahurin
    • Perry Van Houten
    • Peter Stuart
    • Point de Chêne
    • Rainbow Bridge Market
    • Rancho Grande
    • Randy and Cindy Melzer
    • Ray Powers
    • Rhonda Lee
    • Rick Monzon
    • River Sauvageau
    • Robin Catherine Lawson
    • Ryan T. Murphy
    • Samuel Tibbels
    • Shahastra Levy
    • Sharon Butler
    • Skip Demuth
    • Soni Wright
    • Susan Florence
    • Susan Bronstein
    • Susanna Joslyn Johansen
    • Tania Parker
    • Ted Temple
    • Thacher School
    • Tracie Topp
    • Travis Escalante
    • Trevor Cox
    • Upper Ojai Relief
    • Valerie Freeman
    • Ventura County Fire Department
    • Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
    • Vera Long
    • Victoria Aja
    • Vina Lustado
    • Wendy Tremiti
    • Wrona Gall
    • Zhena Muzyka
    • Zoe Murdock
  • Press